Ahmed Abubakar : Tribute to a patient bird- Abdullahi Yakubu

By Abdullahi Yakubu to Ahmed Abubakar

My late friend, Ahmed Abubakar, was the Jigawa state Chairman of the Correspondent’s Chapel and a Reporter for one of the leading Newspapers in  Nigeria, The SUN.

 

I find myself rather devastated when I resolved to pick up my pen to write what I still feel is a tribute to a friend Ahmed Abubakar who lost his life while in active service to the nation after a brief illness that led to his being hospitalised at the Aminu Kano Hospital (AKTH) in Kano couple of days ago.

“Ahmed Trust” as he then was,  before his demise on 11-2 -21 was rated by his Colleagues including my humble self as one of those rare journalists with unique attributes because of his good character and excellent manners.

He was seen among his colleagues as a shining example of simplicity and decorum and level-headed. He was always after the progress of his fellow colleagues and a Counsellor to the upcoming generation of journalists.

Giving his disposition as an introvert gave him the opportunity to swallow his anger even at the peak of provocations. Never will you find him fighting or engaging in any kind of argument or controversy with his colleagues talk less of physical combat.

His practical demonstration of joy was just a simple and captivating smile to show his happiness over any amusing issue.

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I knew Ahmed for over a decade since my days with the New Nigerian Newspaper (NNN) we were together in Dutse day in day out and had worked closely together.

I enjoyed my working relationship with him up till the time he was asked to move to Abuja by his employers The People’s Daily for a more tasking responsibility at the head office.

In fact, before he left for Abuja, though against his interest, he told me to get prepared to take charge as the Chapel Chairman in Dutse. I initially declined because I was not prepared to face leadership challenges due to the numerous things around my neck after trashing the issue out he later convinced me and I succumbed and took over from him.

He then quickly engaged me into other private discussions on how he viewed his transfer to Abuja and what will be the fate of his family when he left.

Interestingly, I had to offer my honest advice(s) to him and asked him to depend solidly on Allah (SWT) and entrust everything in His own hand. He automatically accepted my view and all what I suggested to him and the rest was history.

That was the late Ahmed for you and even before he left this sinful world one cannot point at any person or group that the deceased was fought or quarrelled with.

Besides, I see his death which was ordained by God as a normal process that all mortals must have to pass through and as good Muslims we must have to take solace in whatever comes from Allah (SWT)  wholeheartedly. We really liked him but Allah likes him most.

I believe there are a lot of lessons that the death of this fine gentleman had brought along for us the living mortals to ponder upon especially,  we his colleagues in both Kano and Jigawa states.

That this life is so transient that within a twinkle of an eye someone will just be reduced to the oblivion wind of history, and no matter how long the journey takes there will be a final destination where the passengers on board must have to touch the ground.

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Death is inevitable, it is unpredictable it has no concern for anyone be he a king, a political office holder or whatever, he must nosedive when the time comes and one must answer the clarion call whether prepared or unprepared.

Interestingly, even those we considered having the blue blood flowing in their veins as traditional rulers, sometimes carrying their shoulders high above the commoners must simply key in one day whenever death comes knocking on their doors.

They will not be spared by the cold hands of death and despite all the paraphernalia of office in their beautiful palaces,  or offices, their chosen wives, fleet of cars, and bodyguards, are normally left behind for others to continue enjoying when they are languishing in their graves.

In fact, the same thing applies to politicians who will come from nowhere and occupy high office with a specific time limit to go because only very few of them scale the hurdle to be voted for the second time to complete their eight years on the mantle of leadership. Once their tenure is over he or she must also submit to death, even at times before the end of their tenure.

Whether he has completed his tenure or not, to prove to any doubting Thomas that death strikes at everyone, not minding the nomenclature.

However, it is therefore not astonishing when one stumbles on the news  that the government of Jigawa state under the stewardship of Governor Muhammad Badaru  Abubakar is yet to decide on whether to send a delegation or not for the condolence of the poor journalist, hence “he didn’t deserve our honour”

The state governor rather than act humanly chooses to abandon the late Ahmed, his family on one hand, and all the working journalists in Jigwa, Kano and the nation at large on the other.

The implication of this singular act out rightly deserves a total boycott of the government activities in other to prove to him that what he has done was wrong and must be corrected.

The funeral of late Ahmed Abubakar only attracted cream de la cream of the pressmen both active and retired in the pen profession why then would the press feel there is still anything left between it and a government that fails woefully to take their plight seriously in the whole of Nigeria only the Jigawa state Correspondent’s Chapel used their personal Cars to hunt for news as a result of the hatred the governor has against this noble profession.

In fact even as at the time I am writing this tribute there isn’t any representation from the political class from  Dutse especially from the state governor whom the deceased help to build through his write ups during his life time.

In fact, this is very painful to us as members of the pen-pushing profession who normally hobnob with those at the top echelon of power as a result of the nature of our jobs this has paved way for sober reflection. .

Therefore by allowing only the journalists to mourn the death of their colleague is highly injurious to any sound relationship. The state government had demonstrated the highest peak of “irresponsibility”  and ingratitude to the role the press is playing in making Jigawa state what it is today.

The level of hypocrisy is too much to the extent that neither Governor Muhammad Badaru Abubakar nor his Commissioners or political advisers took the death of our colleague with the seriousness it deserved.

In fact, I am particularly amazed at the inhuman treatment of a colleague who put in his best for the state for over two decades promoting the policies and ideals of the government at all cost only to be abandoned by the beneficiaries of his talent and exposure in journalism.

Since that is the case, the journalists in Jigawa state should be quick in reminding themselves how to further continue with their relationship with the government or else boycott the activities of the government in order to register their grievances.

If not, how can one only be  remembered when he is alive? And the action of people like the Jigawa state governor leaves much to be desired. It is sending a dangerous signal to all the working journalists that the political class are not trustworthy and they can betray anybody at no price. Therefore we should be mindful and be very careful of our relationship with them especially those political officeholders.

A close look at the various pictures capturing the late Ahmad Abubakar and governor  Badaru Abubakar trending on Social Media will tell you how close they were.

But for the benefit of hindsight, the man just turn around and tore the page all of a sudden depicting how dangerous antics could be or is he not aware that a very important person is dead in the state?

Badaru’s stand for not sending anybody from Jigawa to come to Kano to condoled the family of late Ahmed Abubakar who worked closely with him as Chairman of the Correspondent’s Chapel of the NUJ in his state did not only start and end with the  Journalists in Jigawa but succeeded in conveying to the entire journalists in the Country how insignificant the work of a journalist is to people like him.

In fact, Governor Badaru falls among the few governors that benefitted from the goodwill of practising journalists in his state, this I can personally testify to especially if I recall the time we used to leave Babura his home town around 2 am at night and head for Dutse after a hectic campaign for him to be the Jigawa state governor but so sad how the man is paying us back despite all the sacrifices made.

History will not forget the Kano state governor  Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who is prominent in not only relating with Journalists as partners in progress but always angling to assist the press to get out of their battered condition of lack of salaries as and at when due or lack of transport to carry out the job.

Even of recent his Gov. Ganduje gave both the State Correspondent’s Chapel and the NUJ brand new buses to support them do their jobs comfortably.

If it were the Kano state governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje I believe he will abandoned all his tight schedules and personally come and condoled with the Family of the Ahmed Abubakar and possibly lead the funeral of late Ahmed Abubakar just as he demonstrated during the demise of the Kano state Chairman of the NUJ Late Comrade Abduljalal Haruna of blessed memory.

Let me stop and say Adieu to Late Ahmed Abubakar and condole members of his immediate family and may his soul rest in perfect peace Ameen  Adieu Ahmed.

Yakubu, a practising Journalist  writes from Kano